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Review
. 2022 Aug 9;23(16):8849.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23168849.

Prostate Infiltration by Treg and Th17 Cells as an Immune Response to Propionibacterium acnes Infection in the Course of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer

Sebastian Radej  1 , Monika Szewc  1 , Ryszard Maciejewski  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Prostate Infiltration by Treg and Th17 Cells as an Immune Response to Propionibacterium acnes Infection in the Course of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer

Sebastian Radej et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) belong to the most frequent diseases in ageing men. It has been proposed that prostate chronic inflammation is a risk factor for the development of both BPH and PCa. However, potential stimuli that cause or maintain inflammation in the prostate gland are still poorly characterized. Bacterial infections seems to be one of the potential sources of prostatitis. Recent studies show that Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is the most prevalent microorganism in the prostate gland and may be a predisposing factor for inflammation of prostatic tissue. It indicates that P. acnes may contribute to cancer development by enhancing proinflammatory responses, as well as by modifying the prostate extracellular environment. In this review, we discuss the potential role of P. acnes in the development of BPH and PCa and highlight the importance of regulatory T CD4(+)FoxP3(+) (Treg) and Th17 cells in response to P. acnes infection in the context of both prostate diseases.

Keywords: P. acnes; Th17 cells; Treg cells; benign prostatic hyperplasia; inflammatory cells; prostate cancer; prostate chronic inflammation; prostate microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microbial infections as a cause of chronic inflammation that can lead to carcinogenesis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cytokines that maintain the balance between Treg and Th17 cells [75].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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